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ShanTeaTime
Buffalo, NY
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Enchante Was Enchanting
This series was adorable. It gave me an unproblematic BL couple with a really interesting plot and side stories. I'm not sure what a lot of BL fans were expecting going into this? But it doesn't deserve some of the hate I've seen.First of all, a Thai/French BL sounded interesting right off the bat. I know quite a bit of French myself being French Canadian and I've been binging A LOT of "Emily in Paris" lol. So I delved right into this. Hearing French dialogue was cool, they got a few people who were clearly French speakers to show up in this. Also Book who plays Theo actually sounded pretty good speaking French as well. Though I really wish they could've somehow had scenes actually set in France. Or at least make it look realistic instead of green screened at the end. It wasn't the worst, but there just could've been more convincing ways of doing it. However, this was made up mostly by the gorgeous filming locations they found in Thailand. That campus they used was stunning! As well as the music in this had French flair to it so it's fine.
I really liked the leads Force and Book's back-and-forth. It was really sweet and made Akk and Theo feel more real. It wasn't crazy chemistry like TharnType level, but I could rebinge this series just for the frosting on this sweet relationship. Also that first kiss had solid emotion in it so I believed it! The plot overall was interesting. Not super drawn out. I liked that even though I thought it was going to be Akk all along who was Enchante I was wrong. The series said, hey we're gonna flip it so it's actually Theo doing it to himself all along! Good job for that twist. I also liked that the fake suitors weren't just "villains" or depthless. They were fleshed out and had interesting side stories going on. The one (Natee) even got an implicated romantic interest so that was cute!
Theo's parents divorce plot was actually well done too and engaging. It's understandable he's upset at Akk for not telling him, thereby going to his friend for help and try to get his parents back together. Which is obviously not how it works, but I understand the thought/emotional response behind it. I wish though that this kind of drama wasn't always saved until the very end of a series. At least there was no stupid misunderstanding cheating scandal fight. Akk and Theo reconcile pretty quickly and even though Theo moves back to France, Akk follows him. There's a proposal and it made me think of a Disney movie in the best way! One that we all want, free the gay!
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This short series was actually really good! The story (although rushed due to the length) was pretty solid and the acting was really good! Our 2 main actors have chemistry, which is a must for a show like this. I've never seen a K-Drama with such amazing LGBT representation, it was really sweet. They didn't shy away from showing kissing and other intimate moments between these 2 men. I also like that the ending was happy, although didn't feel completely wrapped up. I wish this had gone on longer, it could've became a full series! Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Between Us Never Stood A Chance
Listen, UWMA is one of my favorite BL's. So this series I was already worried about. I like Win and Team don't get me wrong, I just didn't see a full series worth of material for them. I think I was right...but this was an okay side show. It had its cute moments, however part of the problem is many of them weren't involving our main couple.Team's backstory in this was interesting, nothing too crazy but I wanted to see it play out. Win was just kind of there for most of it, which sucks because I really like Boun. His character didn't get much to work with other than just to be an emotional support to Team and to have rich boy problems. The plot was soooo slow though, like give us something interesting in between! Not just mostly filler of eating or sitting at a table outside of school. The side scenes we get of Dean and Pharm were adorable, loved those. Even Wan and Tul had me interested! Although everyone else I was like meh.
Part of the problem with Win and Team was that even though they looked the same to in UWMA. They didn't feel as connected for some reason to me? Like their acting was stiff, the chemistry mostly wasn't there. It's not good when our side characters had better kiss scenes than our main. I wish the series had really gone for it rather than feeling half-baked. I really do hope to see Boun and Prem in more series though! I quite liked them as a special guest showing in "Cutie Pie".
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30Sai made Doteida to Mahotsukai ni Narerurashi
4 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Started Strong, Ended Too Quickly. Needed More Cherries Lol
This started off as one of the best shows labeled "BL" that I've ever seen. This changed by the end but it was still better than the manga. Which doesn't happen a lot with adaptations. I wanna start off with the goods since I did enjoy this series overall! Just was disappointed with its later half. First off, it's comedic timing is on point thanks to Eiji Akaso's spectacular acting. He's so versatile it's crazy! I remember seeing him in Kamen Rider and crushing on him hard, and then he's in this playing Adachi whose a total mess, but also so freaking sweet and wholesome.. He was also in another series where he played a super confident player too apparently? The man is versatile!Keita Machida as Kurosawa also does a fantastic job opposite Eiji. He's very charming and the dream partner. But also way more sweetly affectionate, patient and also heartbreaking than in the books. What they did with his character was probably the best decision the screenwriters could've ever made. You fall in love with him along with Adachi and it's so real feeling. Cutos! Super healthy relationship too. One where nothing is forced or pushed, Kurosawa only pushes Adachi to be better and more confident and we love that. Whereas Adachi pushes Kurosawa to be okay with not being perfect all the time. There's a nice balance, even if it gets frustrating at times with how little is actually seen romance-wise.
There are so many moments added into this that make the show so special, because they stick in your head. Some including; Adachi's meltdown on his first day with powers, Kurosawa wrapping him in a scarf, the folder confession, Adachi getting slammed in the elevator door, Kurosawa's side of the love story, them holding hands for the first time, etc. It's all just so well done in the first half. The added side characters are great. Like the office workers, who don't have much of a role in the books but make their presence known here. Tsuge is played perfectly, look and all by Kodai Asaka. Minato is great too, though that wig is a little fake looking lol. The music in the show is beautifully done, I freaking love the theme song in this show and I highly recommend listening to the full version because it is so stellar. It's called "Ubugoe" by the artist Omoinotake. The cinematography is good too. So bright and inviting when it wants to be, or dreary when were meant to feel a characters pain or emotion.
Anddd then we get into the latter off, where it starts to get old. So once Adachi and Kurosawa get together I expected some type of payoff because that's what buildup is for. I'm glad they didn't wait stupidly to have them confirm a relationship until the end. However, it felt like the relationship wasn't even real half the time anyway! I understand Adachi's character is anxious, but my god it got to be overly frustrating! There's various sweet moments, but those only feel like teasing when they don't lead to more development. We make it to the hand-holding stage and then...nothing. Just some missed date opportunities and severely rushed pacing. Eventually Adachi tells Kurosawa about the powers, which I appreciated. But really? They use that for a breakup plot device to create forced conflict? I expected better from you show. Then they get back together in literally the next episode and sleep together too. What!? That was so horribly executed and made zero sense. Even if the scene of them waking up in bed together was super cute. The pacing of this was all wrong, that stuff should've happened before. I get we have under 30 minute episodes, but if that was the problem (which partially it was) lengthen them. Or add on more episodes for plot! The show desperately needed it and it saddens me that I felt let down by the end. There's also the elevator kiss that was of course cut off prematurely. Listen if actors contractually cannot do that on screen fine, but it's still disappointing. It's also confusing to me how they can show those two lying in bed together with Kurosawa's arm around Adachi, but no kiss? Huh? Also, especially since Tsuge and Hinato's characters got 3 on screen kisses. You had a golden opportunity, that turned to bronze by the end.
Also yes I did see the special episodes and they were cute. I liked seeing that Adachi got Kurosawa a thoughtful gift and that they are using their couples pens. However, I actually preferred Tsuge and Minato's added episode. I believed them as a couple more! Which I did not expect and Tsuge got a major courage boost by the end lol that was something. Rokkaku's episode was completely unnecessary and I wish it wouldn't of taken up Adachi and Kurosawa's time in the episode. Especially with its stupid forced joke AGAIN about him "misunderstanding" about their relationship. Ugh.
I hope for a season 2 but don't try to divert completely from being a "BL" and have some fun with it. We need more realistic intimacy between these two, especially if it's significantly years down the line. Everyone goes at their own pace and there's nothing wrong with that. But don't make it completely unbelievable. I felt the love and there is a rapport there, but not enough for it to be 100% convincing me that these 2 would work out forever. I hope to see more though, I really do! Another season has so much promise.
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A Weak HIStory Overall, But Not Complete Trash
Okay hear me out. Do I think this is a well written series? Overall no. It doesn't even come close to something like "Trapped" or "Make Our Days Count", however I gotta say I did not completely hate this. At first I did because I thought they were glossing over the sexual assault elements. However, they don't! If you kept watching after that you'd realize its clearly said it wasn't right by multiple characters. There also is added things to the situation that try to make it kinda grey a little bit. Yes Xing Si was drunk and irl you cannot consent if you're drunk obviously. However, he was conscious and was asked if he knew who was with him which he answered clearly. He also asked why he wasn't being kissed on the mouth so that was weird. Why would someone whose unaware of what's going on say that? Or have enough awareness to answer direct questions. Still wrong of course, but its food for thought. I still hate the step brother trope because I think its weird af. But at least its not glamorizing sexual assault to be romantic like some other BL's have in the past. I also don't take physical scenes totally to heart in shows because it's meant to be overly dramatized or extreme for shock value/to make more interesting content and conflict. Yong Jie's character was really interesting too. So whatever.Moving past those two. The main couple I actually really started to like, I watched the series pretty much for them and that's it. At first the series was really boring for me, but it picks up some with those two. As well as the cameos from MODC which I loved of course. At first the one main guy (Li Cheng) was really annoying and said some semi-offensive dialogue. However this shifted, so I wasn't completely turned off to his character. There's this scene between them which is the real first sexual awakening scene in the series. It's in a bathtub and its actually beautifully shot. I was shocked it was in this series! Like hello budget! The warm lighting, beautiful music, sensual movements and stellar acting from Mu Ren's actor. He's also very gorgeous so that was nice as well lol. I was overwhelmed. I kinda wish it wasn't in this series, but what are you gonna do?
Favorite characters though were Xing Si and Mu Ren. Their interactions actually were some of the nicest too! Then of course there's Sun and Zhi Gang, but they are obviously cameos so not a ton of screen time lol.
Moving on to the negatives, this show has caused quite a diversity in viewership which I understand totally. However, these were my issues with it. There's wayyyyy too much unnecessary s*** in these eps. So when they end I started to get pissed off because not much has happened progression wise! Like why throw in a work crisis at the tail end of a series? That should've happened way before. Then the resolve of it was basically all in the last episode and its not very satisfying at all. Total bummer. Again I don't like the step-brothers trope, they could've just made them childhood friends or like ex step-brothers? Idk, having them live together too with the parents was extra weird. We loved seeing a gay wedding at the end, however it didn't really answer any questions as to what's happening in MODC season 2. Which I was hoping for because that was the opportune moment! We just know Hao Ting is still abroad, which he is in both endings technically. So boo. This felt kinda just like a filler season in between the stuff fans really are looking forward too overall.
In conclusion, the actors from this seem lovely. Seeing their behind the scenes and reaction videos added a lot for me about them. Which was kinda lacking in the show itself. I hope they get more work after this and I would say go into this series not expecting HIStory level storytelling. It's messy but has its moments
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The Eighth Sense: I See 2 Boys In Loveeee
First of all. Full episodes YES. It's about damn time we had full length eps and not 15 min ones! It pays off so much with the storytelling and development of the characters. Speaking of the characters, are leads are so freaking cute and heartfelt. Jae Won and Ji Hyun had perfect chemistry and all of their scenes felt believable. They really kissed and it pays off! I loved the discussion on Jae Won's mental health and seeing him in therapy. That was really cool and I've only seen it in Kdramas like IONTBO, which is one of my faves of all time.Did I need to see Ji Hyun almost drown? No, and I knew where the plot was going after that. It got kinda cliche with Jae Won ignoring Ji Hyun to "protect him", but it was done well enough to where I didn't mind it too much. I needed the ex to go away though and I loved the friends Ji Hyun had, they were amazing. Finally, CONAN GRAY IN A BL!!! Loveeeee it.
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Not Me, Not You, But Everyone... Should Watch This Show
It's finally the ending guys and I'm super sad about it! "Not Me" definitely met my expectations and even surpassed them in so many ways. Let's get into this show in detail because that's what it deserves, a thorough look at it as a whole.First of all, the story was solid. I think it could've done with a few more rewrites but I appreciate all the messages it had to give. As well as showcasing how intense and important standing up for what you believe in is. What's right isn't always rewarded, so that's where protesting comes in. A protest is grounded in just wanting to be heard and I think the series did this aspect justice. Even in the classroom scenes, they felt real when talking about law and order. I have zero experience in this, so I'm not sure how accurate all of what they were discussing was. Especially because I am also not from Thailand. However, from the comments on the video its very real so I will trust that! Though I might've been a little lost at parts, mostly it was satisfying to watch.
Let's move on to Sean and White, because that's why most of us are here lol. Obviously, they are too adorable and of course chemistry but what else is new? Their relationship development was pretty good. I liked seeing the subtle nuances of them getting closer and eventually leading to the confession/hook up in the tent. All of which had me shrieking XD. I'm also glad the White reveal stuff wasn't super drawn out. It was rough seeing Sean confused because Black is kinda a dick, but he figured it out on his own. So though obviously it's reasonable that Sean was upset with White for lying to him, it wasn't episodes of trying to rekindle the relationship. Overall, their scenes together are pretty emotional/passionate so it's nice to see Off and Gun push their on screen romances further, though it's not a surprise knowing how close those two really are ;P
Next the twist. Since the show is based around White taking of Black's life due to him being in a coma we had to wonder who put him in that coma in the first place? Well it wasn't too surprising to me that it was Tod, seeing as he kinda recruits White in the first place. I kinda wanted it to be Gumpa because that would've been more of a shock. But that's just me! Speaking of Black and White The scenes with them together were actually really well done! Twin stuff isn't easy to pull off and certain scenes I was like damn that looks really clean and I could believe there's actually twins there. Some scenes like in the last episode I could tell when it was someone else lol but for the most part very solid, I just have a good eye for these things.
To get some of the random side stuff out of the way. Gram getting with Black's ex I did not vibe with. Sure she deserves happiness and Black seemingly sucked as a partner. I also liked Gram, even though I'm still slightly confused if he liked Black or not? But yuck that's a bff no no to get with Black's ex like that. I don't know I just can't get past that, makes me think of "Euphoria" with Maddie and Cassie. You just don't do that!
Okay side couple time! Dan and Yok are cute but underdeveloped majorly as a side couple. I really like Yok's character though, he might be my favorite of this series tbh. His discussions of art and justice were really interesting and well written. While Fluke (Dan) is just....so gorgeous lol and did a great job at showing emotion in this series. I do gotta say though Dan and Yok's ending was really good. So even if they were rushed the end result was solid. Gotta see forgiveness in order to move on into a steady relationship, I would've liked to see where they go from there.
Finally, the last scene. Is of course with Sean and White and it did actually give me chills. The song played when these two are together is actually really beautiful and their lines of dialogue were well written. Plus the KISS, ugh. Why must it end now!? I want more! Overall really good job show, lets see more and more of this in BL continue and never stop the OffGun hype train!
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Should've Sucked The Blood
First off, I love this concept. Vampires are kind of my thing, so when I heard of a vampire BL I freaked! However, another short series? Really Korea, we should again KNOW BETTER. Everything happened wayyyy too fast in this plot-wise, to where it got super muddled. However, I kind of give it a pass for how amazing the chemistry was between Jun Ho and Minhyun. Btw Minhyun's actor reminds me of Byeongkwan from ACE. Is it just me?OKAY KISS. That's my first point lol. Though the cut to them just naked had me dying XD. I was like excuse me WHAT!? But regardless, even the way these two stare at each other is very intense. I felt like I was intruding a little bit even though this was a show. That's when you know there's sparks there. The chemistry calls for a season 2 STAT! Moving on from the spice. This series got sad really really quickly due to its quick pace and lack of time. Jun Ho is dying and refuses to suck Minhyun's blood at fear of killing him. I get that, however HE CANT SEE by the end. Wtf writers!? That was so depressing when he dropped the ring. Also him disappearing in Minhyun's arms, I felt like deteriorating after that.
Random question. How did Minhyun's brother know about vampires...? It could've been mentioned in the plot, but I was too busy being shook by the gaze of these two to notice. Even though Jun Ho disappeared by the end, I could still see them trying to continue the story on. Though I don't think sad endings are always bad endings like some viewers. This one can do with some work though. Please..the audience deserves it for tuning in these past few weeks!
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A Lovely Ghost Story About Love, Acceptance and Basketball
So what a beautiful series. I took issue with the ending, but we'll get to that. What I've learned yet again is that I love Singto so much. Seriously as an actor he will break your heart in anything he touches. Shatter it to pieces because he's such a sweetie, with a sweet face and demeanor. The melt your heart type of actor that I kept calling baby boy throughout this series lol he gets to you like that!I knew this series was going to get to me because our main character is a young person whose died. But holy crap it got to me more and more as it progressed! I loved the buildup of Med and Thun's relationship, it was so wholesome and heartwarming. As soon as Thun lit the incense as Med's grave I knew this pairing was special. Then you find out he can see him because Thun is a medium. Signed, sealed, delivered they will fall in love and be super connected.
Seeing Med right off the bat waiting around at his tomb for no one was what set me off first with tears. Wtf show that was so sad! Then these two driving around (because Med can finally leave the graveyard) with the top down. Second time, total tears and Med giving Thun peace as a child about his dad's passing. There weren't a lot of dry moments during this show. I could sense immediately that there could be interferences in Thun's life with this relationship, since he's coming off as basically insane talking to himself in public constantly. Seriously that gave me such anxiety seeing people constantly staring at him in public!
Med becomes Thun's cheating mechanism basically throughout this story, in school (watching Med walk around the classroom was hilarious) and in basketball. Which by the way FINALLY a Thai BL with basketball and not soccer (football) lol, I love basketball so my day has come! I liked that the girl in the group (Praifah) wasn't your typical third-wheel impeding on the main couple's love story. She was actually a legit friend, character and ultimately helped Thun figure out he was gay. Hello heteronormativity you're not welcome here! The homophobic teasing was so aggravating, but it was needed in this to show the reality. Which by the way that coming out scene with him and his mom was one of the best I've seen in BL's. So emotional! The actor (Ohm) did a great job with the emotion in this. Especially in that scene and the rooftop scene with Med fading in and out but Thun poured his heart out. So good.
So as much as I loved this show, there were some things that I was either confused by or took issue with. One thing I was confused by is whether or not they made Med slightly translucent in certain shots or was it just the lighting? Like in the mall scenes. It could've been either and I wish it was more obvious. Another one was the "rules" of being a ghost. Meaning why were they emphasizing at one point Med being able to touch things? When that already happened with the laptop prior and it wasn't discussed lol. It might've just been when he's able to pick up things but it was confusing. Now the biggest issue I had with the show was the ending. Unfortunately I didn't like it very much. I kinda wish Med had indeed moved on, since that's what was built up for so long and the emotional weight was perfectly heavy. Like I literally had to tell people in the same room not to look at me during the last episode, I was sobbing that badly. When Med dissapeared I was SHOOK! I would've loved for this whole show to have been about Thun's gathered experiences from Med's love and lessons. Not a weird open ending of "it's not my time yet" and not knowing when that "time" will be or if he will just be with Thun until Thun dies. This easily would've been a 10/10 without this strange ending.
Even though I felt that way about the ending. I still want to end the review with more positives. The traditional sounding music used throughout this show was beautiful. The revelation of why Thun and Med can touch sometimes was so sweet. The kisses were heartfelt. The plot twist of the mom being Med's friend in the past was weird at first but interesting! I didn't see it coming and it continued the "fates collide" underlying plot of the show. I also liked that Thun got his gift of seeing ghosts from his mom.
Initially I saw the 8 episode length and was like wtf is this so short!? But looking back it worked well. The episodes are longer and it starts the blooming of the relationship going far earlier than normal (episode 4). Definitely watch this if you haven't! But honestly I would skip the last part of the final episode. It would've been a better ending in my opinion. Though I get many want a happy ending no matter what! I shall end this with a quote that broke my heart from out dear Med.
"Sometimes I feel like I didn't really exist even when I was alive." Baby boy we know you existed don't worry!
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Don't Say No...Until Episode 11!
Okay first off. I had no idea this was even happening. These 2 (Fiat & Leo) were my least favorite couple in TharnType season 2. So I was really hoping this series would give me more reason to like them! Especially with Fiat's character. Well, I can honestly say the series did just that! For the most part. Let's get into it.By episode 2 I think I went; "Okay yes they are doing exactly what I wanted them to." AKA, giving Fiat a story arch/family background and not having him just be a bratty homewrecker. Were finally seeing repercussions and I started to feel for him deeply! His reasoning behind not expressing to Leo his feelings become clearer. The way he reacts to situations or people (like his stepmom) become crystal clear due to his psycho manipulative and abusive mother. Dude clearly uses sex in order to cope with his trauma and unhappiness. That was really smart to go down that path! Though of course being "promiscuous" isn't a bad thing, however using it as a coping mechanism is not good. Poor baby! We move onto the horror that is his exes. Nobody deserves to have their business out like that. Meaning the sex tape being leaked. It's also illegal due to lack of consent of distribution! First's acting really shown during these scenes. One thing though I wanted to add was this show going into Fiat getting tested for STD's. Because that's for his own safety and Leo's. As well as very important! Overall though I think episode 3 is the strongest in the series. Side note: The underwear scene had me DYING! Fiat you into some sexy underwear good for you!
Moving on to Leo. All I could think during the majority of this series was, Leo is so f-ing sweet! Why is he so sweet!? We love a consensual king! Orphanage donations, checking Fiat's mouth out after he burned himself. Bi***! His character still isn't the most rounded out, butttt he's a lot more likable in this. Though the way his character shifts dramatically at the ending is problematic. But we'll get to that. Let's move on to Fiat & Leo together. Seeing Ja and First together was very believable. Behind the scenes too, they are hilarious! Good job selling me on the drama because they are the opposite. They are so compatible together as actors. Even during the spicy scenes, the chemistry never waned (it actually skyrocketed during parts) so good job! I loved that we had a series FINALLY with a couple from episode 1. Let's see the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship, and not just how they get together. Like Fiat being more experienced sexually, whereas Leo is not experienced at all. All very real and interesting as hell to see!
Side couple time. At first I was like...really? Leon and Pob? But as it continued I was like...YES! I didn't think I'd end up liking Leon's character at all. He's the stereotypical wealthy player, but the series quickly dropped that after he starts pursuing Pob. Which was great! Also good on the series for using the terms pansexual and non-binary when discussing Leon's past relationships. We need more of that diversity! So Leon and Pob's relationship started out with a cat lol and of course the cat died. Which I knew was going to happen! Their first kiss was adorable (and bougie lol). Their first time was actually even better than Leo & Fiat's in some ways. Their kissing was on point! Snapped for real.
All of this stands. But I still want a Cir and Phugun series though! Anywaysss, so everything was pretty great with this series. Until episode 11. Booooo. We had huge hypocrisy coming from Leo's character. I wanted to strangle him for how stupid he was being all of a sudden! We had more blackmail. Which was good the first time around, but now was getting stale. What happened? Like why series!? So that was bad enough, but then....the last episode airs. I'm going to give you an accurate interpretation of my thoughts during the episode:
"Fiat be looking GOOD in this final ep. Okay this convo between Leo and Fiat is giving me toxic vibes and that's not good dude! No he cannot lock you or tie you up baby! Were not repeating this mom nonsense Fiat. Like I'm all for the kink, but this was not done well enough to project that into the actual story! It's just coming off weird and uncomfy. Way to mess up a great side couple too with a weird out of nowhere breakup. Like WTF I hate this episode. It seems like its setting up for a second season though. And we're gonna go from a sad fu*****scene to KINK. WHAT!? But its hot lmao I can't, Fiats moaning lmao and they're shaking the painting on the wall bi***! Fiats jacket has been buttoned and unbuttoned like 3 times. Okay we don't combat revenge porn with more revenge porn. Lets get that straight. Kissing on the court YES, but where's the ring!?"
And end scene. That pretty much sums it up. I was angry, slightly amused, shook and then disappointed by the end. Watch this series over TTS2 FOR SURE, but honestly stop at ep 10. It'll save you heartache!
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I-LAND Was Entertaining, However Not Sure If I'll Watch Another Season
So I-LAND being a reality television contest show obviously means I won't be rating it like other shows. It was broken up into segments which I appreciated because the original basis of the ILAND vs Grounders thing got really old really quick. The show really picks up once were down to like 12 I think? Because then that's where we see the most personalities shine through in the selected contestants. I'm going to have to go back and watch again, but it felt like the producers already knew who they wanted to debut based on screen time. Those who made it down to the wire I think had wayyyy more screen time then others who didn't make it far. Which both makes sense, but also feels suspicious since a lot of this was supposed to be "global fan votes".Either way, we get to see some amazing rising talent and seeing literally a new kpop group being formed from scratch was pretty cool. Though having to see all the tears along the way was kinda heartbreaking, most of these guys are still kids and I can imagine how hard it must be to dedicate months to a contest you might not win and be away from loved ones for so long. Without any contact whatsoever to the outside world! Sure it can chalked up to determination, but that's a long time and I felt for them. This show is genius in that most debut groups we know nothing about as fans until they actually debut. This show gives us the opportunity to fall in love with these potential members right off the bat without any music even officially being out! Great marketing strategy, great way for them to grow as artists and people as well. Seriously K especially grew ALOT positively as well as Heeseung in leadership qualities. I will say I do have some favorites along the way. The list is; Sunghoon, Sunoo, Heeseung, Jay, Nikki, K and Geonu were my favorites from the start and guess what? All of them made it to the finalists lol. Not all of them got to debut (sadness) but most of them did! So I'm pretty happy and wish them nothing but success.
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Huge Improvement In Everything From First Season, We Want More Episodes Though!
So it's no secret that I didn't loveeee the first season of "2Gether". I loved the side characters, but the main couple didn't seem to have much chemistry. However, that has completely changed in this one! I don't know if they took more classes together or because the characters have been together for 1 year now they chose to show it more? Either way it worked, so Tine and Sarawat have grown on me.First of all, the intro sequence they made for this was freaking adorable. Were introduced to the concept being 1 year in, which is an interesting set up. I wasn't sure how well it would go considering this season is only 5 episodes long sadly. I'm sure the network could've pulled for a much longer season 2 but part of me thinks COVID had something to do with it. The budget for this season was clearly increased though because of its popularity, so come on man! Give us a season 3 as well that's longer.
Moving onto the characters. Like I said before Tine and Sarawat grew on me ALOT during this season specifically, they were super sweet and we got an actual KISS at the end. Not 1, but 2 and it was legit. The writers clearly listened to the fans which is awesome! So the chemistry finally snuck its way into the show. I also wanted to ask when Man and Type became so freaking good as a couple? Like they were arguably the best couple of the show from their maturity and contrasting personalities that work as a solid couple. Like Type is super composed, organized and slightly stuck up. Where Man is goofy and expressive in every way, especially in love. Really fun to see them interact! I did want more of Type in this actually though, seeing as he's Tine's older brother and all I would've liked to see more interactions. Phukong and Mil I still don't care about and probably never will lol but that's fine.
Again though, the side characters take the show for me. Green is still my heart and soul, Gun plays him to perfection and every time he was on screen (which was a lot more this season YAY!) I was laughing, grinning like an idiot and loving life. Apparently he be getting it on in the backyard with his boo Dim lol, so that was a development. Him and Dim's relationship in this could've been annoying, but I just found their lovers quarrels hilarious. They clearly love each other so much, but are both just stubborn and outspoken. Though Dim needs to calm down sometimes for real, in the first season he was alittle scary and I worried about how he treated Green. But he was slightly better in this (slightly), though he still needs to figure out how to talk to people (especially his bf) without coming off poorly 95% of the time. Green keeps him in line though so that's a plus! Also I love that Green and Tine are close friends now, its nice going from the first season of avoidance plotlines to now where they work together and hug it out! Overall, I was very happy with this follow up story. It was funny, charming and well-done. The only thing that got on my nerves was the ads in this, they seemed to be somehow even more shoved in our faces lol.
I shall leave this review with a quote from the show that I liked. Also PETITION FOR GREEN TO GET HIS OWN SPINOFF SERIES
"We can't care about everyone all the time, just care about those who care about us."
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Toxic BL Drama Show That Shows How Much BL's Have Improved
Okay so who lied to me and said this was a really good series? Because it really wasn't it was actually pretty bad. If you like this series probably don't read the rest of my review, because it's going to be pretty negative and roastful.First of all, the whole "stepbrother romance thing" is weird enough upfront. I don't like that plotline, especially not in the context of this story. The parental issues our 2 main characters have was actually quite interesting though, so I'll give the show that. Also Bai Luo Yin's father was the best character in the show. But it's overshadowed by the crap later on.
Our main characters Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai are really pretty boring. One is a borderline crazy stalker and eventual kidnapper (Gu Hai) while the other is exceedingly stubborn and wants seemingly nothing to do with the other for the most part (Bai Luo Yin). These traits make up just straight up bad character portrayals. The actors themselves played the parts well, but I just couldn't stand their characters at all. Especially together, which is where we get into the super serious problems I had with this series. STOP ROMANTICIZING SEXUAL ASSAULT. Too many BL series do this, granted not so much anymore because I think they finally realize it's super not okay. But back in the day, like when this aired it was too common. Literally Gu Hai's character does all these pretty kind things throughout the show and then BAM, he's literally an awful person! He has Bai Luo Yin kidnapped, tied up and he forces himself upon him. Assault does not always just mean sex by the way, if someone isn't interested in being groped or kissed DON'T DO IT! Then the show doesn't address any of it ever again. Absolutely not.
Amongst the varying levels of toxicity thrown into later episodes randomly, there's this weird disease subplot that also pissed me off. DO NOT get a disease for someone, like wtf that's so stupid and careless to throw in there! I mean it ends up being not real, but the idea is stupid and not something to be romanticized along with everything else. Also random note, the music in this show was weird too. Like either brokeback mountain esque, loud dubstep or whatever else. So weird, please don't watch this. I feel like because it was banned a lot of viewers have this weird attachment to the show? Well I went in knowing this and still hated it. I'm glad LGBTQ BL representation is getting much MUCH better with shows like UWMA and LBC. These types of important topics need to be portrayed correctly please and were definitely improving!
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2 Baddies Bein Anything But Buddies
Okay so I didn't love this as much as most. I know that. I think I just wanted more from the romance aspect of it. We spend so much time having these 2 freak out over keeping their feelings a secret. From each other, their friends and their parents. That we don't get enough time with them as a legit couple. So though I thought the chemistry was amazing, it could've been utilized so so much more! Like ITSAY level of tension.One thing that I will say that's super positive is.... hello actual amazing kiss WHOA. So much desperation in that entire scene. Well done seriously. This is the level I'm talking about! Just not enough of it over the span of the series. Like even when a couple isn't together yet in a series, you gotta sell it to us viewers harcore! Other than that amazing kiss I also loved the little sister getting with Ink. That was so sweet and needed within these types of shows!
Other smaller things I liked. One being instead of going with "The only guy I'd ever like is you" trope they went for straight up pansexuality , liking whoever you're comfortable with because gender doesn't matter. Another thing we need more of in BL. The revelation of why the families are feuding was also well done. I would've held a grudge too! I wouldn't of put it on my kids, but I understood it.
I hope to see these two leads together again. I've seen them in other series and it was great! But their chemistry is too good to waste. Please let it happen!
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It's Okay to Not Be Okay
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I Am Not Okay That This Ended!!!
So this is one of the best Korean dramas I've ever seen. No joke. It's everything I could've ever wanted in a drama like this, in that niche of romance being mixed with other important topics. Mental health is now something to be discussed over in Korea, finally and its so wonderful! So to see an entire show dedicated to mental health discussions in various forms. Treating it with dignity and compassion, seeing these characters all heal their emotional wounds. It's very touching and heartbreaking as well as pretty thorough! We go from a son from a wealthy political candidate whom just wants to be seen, to a woman whose assumed a childlike state to cope with her past parents abuse, to an elderly man coping with severe ptsd from the war. Holy crap it was all such an amazing set of experiences to watch and see the growth of all these characters. They weren't even our main characters but it all still felt so fleshed out!I want to touch upon the overall visuals of this series before going into the main characters/storyline. To put it upfront, they were spectacular. The animation style with the dark aesthetic, the intro sequence with the stop-motion and beautiful music. As well as Moon-Young's books style. It's all very Tim Burton esque and its soooooooo good man. Like its my favorite thing ever! There's also some use of black and white film footage that had me shook to the core as a film student!
So now we will move on to the characters. Moon-Young is my queen for real. The crushing is HARD lol. She's gorgeous, fierce with her literal throne, fashion sense and black nails. Even though I loved her, I wasn't sure if her character would be able to garner sympathy necessarily. Since she is so cold at the beginning and for a good chunk of the show. All of it makes total sense though as the story progresses and its not her fault at all. She's developed this anti-social personality to clearly cope with past trauma from her parents, whom are literal evil people. You're going to embody being a "witch" if its what people called you, including your own father! Once you understand that her character sometimes does these outlandish cruel seeming things to push people to be better in her own way, it all comes together. She's not just a piece of artwork to be groomed or long hair to be pulled! An interesting thing Moon-Young said during the series was that she hated flowers that fell apart petal by petal, she prefers ones like magnolias that fall all at once. Something interesting to think about looking back at her character development.
Now we're moving onto the brothers. Gang-Tae is also very beautiful, my bisexual a** was struggling during this series! He's kind-hearted and you feel deeply for his character from the start. He's flawed, but I thanked god for that because I didn't want a perfect character! Everyone needed to grow during this series. His brother Sang-Tae was an amazing representation of autism spectrum disorder. Their relationship as brothers was my favorite to watch throughout the show, not even the romance! It was so wholesome and I couldn't take it! When Sang hugs his brother and comforts him, that was beautiful and so hard to do with autism. He assumed his older brother role and it was just TEARS. Children do not have to be "useful" to their parents, they are their own person to love.
So like I said, I loved the individual patient storylines interlaced into the main story. Those were great. The main plot of the mystery surrounding our main characters pasts was fascinating too and didn't disappoint! Was it overly dramatic sometimes? Sure, but it was hella entertaining! I thought each main characters past was really well done and the mystery surrounding Moon-Young's mother was really solid too. Even the romance was pretty good! I liked seeing the love blossom from something she thought was necessary to something that was necessary for both of them to heal. The only storylines that I didn't care for was the side-couple nonsense. There was already so much good packed in that we didn't need that at all. Ju-Ri could've just been single and found her own happiness without a man. By the end though every character had developed so much and grown, ending with each of them finding their own individual happiness. It's such a good pay off and I swear I teared up every single episode. WATCH THIS SHOW! I wish I could relive it again!
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